Tuesday night, Superintendent Maria Su is expected to land the big fish of restoring algebra for most eighth-graders in San Francisco public schools. Her recommendation to the school board represents the reversal of a 12-year adventure of superintendents and commissioners designing their own curriculum initiatives that, while well intended, failed to improve educational outcomes. The plan still needs some modifications but is expected to be approved by the school board as an essential element of a larger mathematics policy reform to be implemented this fall.
In February 2014, in response to disappointingly few students achieving Algebra II proficiency by 10th grade, the school district delayed offering Algebra I from eighth- grade (when most California students enrolled in it) to ninth grade. The delay was thought to give students more time to develop mastery in basic math concepts and to close racial gaps in both Algebra II enrollment and proficiency. According to then-Superintendent Richard Carranza, the percentage of Latino students who achieved proficiency in Algebra II was one-sixth, and African Americans one-fourteenth, of the district as a whole. School district leaders attributed the gap to students being rushed through math concepts in earlier grades and arriving in eighth-grade unprepared for Algebra. The remedy was to delay the course for all students.
Last month, the school district reported that its 10-year Equity Imperative in English Language Arts also failed to achieve positive outcomes. As calculated by the percentage of students meeting or surpassing proficiency standards, the gap between the highest and lowest student demographic groups was 58 percent in both 2014–15 and 10 years later in 2024–25.
Until now, parent demands for curriculum improvements and reforms were largely ignored. Restoring algebra was one galvanizing issue for the supporters of the successful recall of three school board members in 2022 but nothing happened. Two years later, 82 percent of San Francisco voters passed Proposition G calling on the school board to restore eighth- grade algebra. Some community members also filed a suit against the school district for blocking progress on restoring algebra and reached a favorable settlement. Even the initial version of the current proposal attracted widespread criticism for not going far enough and forcing students to take an additional math course in eighth grade at the expense of an elective course or English language training.
82 percent of San Francisco voters passed Proposition G calling on the school board to restore eighth-grade algebra
Parent, community, and elected official advocacy efforts have now paid off as the school district has largely backed off from making algebra available but difficult to get without taking an additional pre-requisite course. For the first time, Superintendent Su is now proposing that students who score high enough on a statewide algebra readiness test be allowed to enroll in Algebra I in eighth grade without simultaneously taking another eighth-grade level mathematics course.
In its present form, however, the proposal may disqualify many students who understand the necessary subject matter. It could be adjusted to make more students eligible for eighth- grade algebra who are proficient but not necessarily expert in other math topics. In addition, the proposal currently requires parents to meet with counselors and discuss their child’s proficiency and desire to enroll in Algebra I without taking the other math course. At best, the meeting requirement may be duplicative. At worst, it could deprive high-scoring students who are ready for algebra the opportunity to opt out of the other course not because of their proficiency level but because their parents and their counselor were unable to arrange a meeting time. Finally, the school district needs to make sure that all students can take the required test and be informed of its importance.
These additional changes to the policy to be proposed at Tuesday’s school board meeting will signal the decline or even end of over a decade of resistance to reform and insistence on the school district’s own unique methods despite better outcomes in other school districts and overwhelming community opposition. Over the course of their children’s academic lifetimes, parents of today’s eighth- graders have been challenged by, and had to overcome, federal attacks on education by two Trump Administrations and the scourge of Covid which kept local schools shut over community objections. Successful implementation of the new policy with additional modifications could give these families greater reason to stay in the public schools or return to them for more successful educational outcomes for their children.
Catching a big fish doesn’t end the battle or necessarily make for more smooth sailing. For Superintendent Su, making Algebra Grade 8 again means ensuring that administrators in Central Office and middle schools and classroom teachers are on board. In the elementary school grades as well as Grades 6 and 7, math teachers need the time and training to better prepare all students to take this restored opportunity.
When he introduced the Advanced Coursework Equity Act, U.S. Senator Cory Booker recognized the critical role of eighth-grade algebra and other advanced courses for college and career readiness of Black and Latino students. In an economy like San Francisco’s that is increasingly dominated by artificial intelligence and high tech, eighth- grade algebra can fuel the pipeline to future jobs and careers for San Francisco public school students.